Kodiak slides into line behind us and doesn’t miss a beat. “I don’t know man, if itwasa hoax, they’d have gone with virgin sacrifices. It’s a classic for a reason. Scares parents into hiding their daughters, and rallies people into a united front against a common enemy. Then when the military stepped in to slay the beasts, they’d look like heroesandget to publicly demonstrate their power. Win-win on regaining compliance over the masses.”
I shoot him a glare and mouth, ‘What the hell are you doing?’But he ignores me.
The guy loading the belt pauses, genuinely considering it. “Well shit, that’s a good point. Okay, say itwasreal. Why wouldn't that dragon just roast the guys then and there? Why snatch ‘em and fly off?
Stone butts in with a sly smirk, feeding off of Kodi’s instigations. “You think people used to sacrifice virgins for dragons toeat? Hell, you saw that video. The gold is significantly smaller than the other three, and she kidnapped a couple of men. Let’s be realistic, if they’ve been in hiding since the middle ages, those dragons aren’t just hungry, they’re horny.”
I don’t know what I was thinking earlier, singing these ungrateful heathens’ praises.
My annoyance tapers off the instant I notice Amara is barely managing to keep her laughter at bay. Stone shoots me a challenging look, subtly reminding me that if I’m having second thoughts about our plan, I need to step in before this goes any further. But even though it goes against everything ingrained in me, I truly believe it’s the only path that leads to Amara’s freedom.
Groceries forgotten, they give us their full attention now. “Say you’re right and it is a girl. Why not go after the other dragons then?”
“To drive them into a jealous rage,” Amara chimes in. “Haven’t you ever watched nature shows? Mating season is always full of weird rituals.”
The humans contemplate her words seriously.
“You know, my cousin claims one stole his food truck a few days ago, but he's always hit the sauce a bit too hard, if you know what I mean.” One scratches his beard. “Isn’t that a thing some animals do, though? Bring food and trinkets to the potential mate they're trying to impress?”
The entire thing has gotten so ridiculously out of hand, I can’t help but smile and roll with the punches. “If you truly don’t know the answer to that, maybe you should quit looking for someone to kill these dragons, and start looking at them for dating advice.”
* * *
“Where to next?”
Amara deadpans, “Home.”
Kodi slings an arm around her shoulders. “After how long it took Raiden and Stone to remove the sticks from up their butts? I think not, beautiful.” I level him with a glare that he completely ignores. “Besides, you’re so convinced we’re going to die, we may as well cram in as much living as we can first. Prepare to be wooed, gorgeous. We’re gonna court the fuck of you.”
She snorts, shaking her head in amusement. “Your priorities are seriously messed up, you know that?”
Stone kisses her knuckles. “Not at all.You’reour priority, Amara. Everything else is simply a series of sidequests to keep life interesting.”
She sighs. “You can’t be a doctorandhave swoon worthy pick up lines at your disposal. It’s not fair to the rest of the men on this planet hoping to get laid if they can’t even reach the bar you keep raising.”
Kodi pivots to walk backwards in front of her, clutching his chest. “Is the doctor appeal because of the money, or that he saves people? Because I’d like to point out that I, in fact, fit both of those qualifications. I can also work half-naked for your enjoyment. If Stone were to try, he’d get smacked with a lawsuit.”
The three of them carry on bantering back and forth, teasing each other and laughing. For a little while, every problem weighing down on their shoulders ceases to exist, and they’re just…happy.Careful not to break the spell, I commandeer the camera Stone secretly bought for Amara and take several pictures, committing the moment to memory.
Slipping it back in the side pocket of his backpack, I return to watching everyone on the street in my peripherals, discreetly assessing if anyone’s gaze lingers on us for too long. Thus far, the only looks Amara has been receiving are those of appreciation, or curiosity. As much as it makes the muscle in my jaw tic, it’s understandable. One woman surrounded by three men, two of which stand out like sore thumbs, is bound to garner attention.
An hour later, Amara nudges my arm to get my attention, choosing her words carefully. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but wandering around aimlessly is kind of stressing me out.”
Slowly, I nod. “I should have considered that, it’s why at home we stopped asking you what you wanted for dinner, and asked which of a couple options you’d prefer. Too many options can be daunting and you tend to get lost in your head overthinking it.”
She grimaces, fiddling with the strap on her backpack. “Exactly. I’m not asking for an itinerary or anything, but at least a rough game plan for the day? Walk to a certain city, find a hotel, explore a little and stay a night or two unless we get shot at; that sort of thing. It’s comforting knowing what to expect. Otherwise I get lost in my head imagining a hundred worst case scenarios to try and be prepared for anything that might happen.”
My brow furrows as I look at the situation from her perspective, realizing how much of it overlaps with my own. “That makes perfect sense, actually. I always have an emergency plan or two running in the back of my mind; it’s automatic at this point to where I don’t even actively make it. My subconscious maps out the territory and instantly identifies the vantage points and best places for cover. So, to me, it doesn’t matter where we end up during the day or when, because I’m used to needing to adapt in the heat of the moment.”
She snaps her fingers and points at me. “Exactly! But you have the confidence of knowing you can handle whatever is thrown at you, and quick reflexes honed from centuries of experience. Barely anything has been a genuine threat to you. I, on the other hand, have been little more than human up until a few weeks ago, soeverythingstill feels like a potential threat. My brain hasn’t caught up yet with the fact that I can fly away if shit hits the fan. And after how hard my other half dug her claws in, making it a struggle to shift back, I can’t really rely on that ability either. It’s hard to turn my brain off and enjoy what’s in front of me if I’m always trying to mentally prepare for the unknown.”
I step in front of her, forcing her to stop, and reverently tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. “The best things in life are the ones you never see coming. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have found you.” Her expression softens, and I press a lingering kiss to her lips. “But I agree, we should keep the surprises to a minimum for a while.”
With one more quick peck, I lace my fingers through hers and resume walking. “We’re not far from the next city, so how about we find a hotel room and shower?”
She squeezes my hand in silent thanks. “Perfect. And then?”
"Then-" I brush my lips across her knuckles "- we're taking you on a real date."
